Air-motor.



M. CLARK.

AIR MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8, I916. l,265,7%7 Patented May 14, 1918.

MELVILLE CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINGZS, ASSIGNOB TO MELVILLE CLARK PIANO COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A "QRPORATION 0E ILLINOIS.

AIR-M05503.

recon-av.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14;, 1918.

Application filed December 8, 1916. Serial No. 135,753.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MnLvILLE CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Motors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved air motor, particularly adapted for operating the note-sheet feeding devices of an automatic piano player. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indi cated in the claims.

In the drawings Figure l is a perspective view from the forward side of an air motor embodying this invention, the same being shown in connection with adjacent parts of the piano player action which it serves.

Fig. 2 is a fore-and-aft vertical section at the line, 2-2, on Fig. 1, through one of the motor pneumatics and its valve chamber.

Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2 of a modified form.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the tempo valve chamber, taken above the valve therein.

Fig. 5 is a section at the line, 5-5, on Fig. a.

Fig. 6 is an axial section of a fly wheel and spring-connected crank arms by which the fly wheel is connected with the shaft on which it is mounted.

The air motor illustrated in the drawings comprises a plurality,as illustrated, five, motor pneumatics, 1, having their back or base-boards, 1 fixed, and having their moving walls, 1', all oscillating in the same direction from said fixed walls. Journaled in bearings, 3-3, fixed with respect to said fixed wall or back, there is a crank shaft, 4, having five cranks, 4:, corresponding to the five pneumatics, and connected by a pitman, 6, with the moving walls, 1*, respectively, of said motor pneumatics. In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 9, the valve chain er for controlling the motor pneumatic is mounted upon the fixed board or back, l which is at the forward side of the motor, and mounted for service in the position shown in Fig. 1. At said forward side of the back or fixed members of the motor pneumatic, there is mounted protruding therefrom as a transverse rib thereon, a chamber which is partitioned so as to form an exhaust air chamber, 7, which extends across all the pneumatics, and individual valve chambers,

8, one for each pneumatic,the valve cham bers each having a port, 9, leading into the exhaust air chamber, ing to the atmosphere. ber between the two ports, there are two valves, 11 and 12, mounted on a common stem, and on that stem thrust apartby the reaction of the spring, 13, forcing each valve to its proper seat, controlling respectively the ports, 9 and 10. The valve stems extend out through the atmosphere port, and are operatively connected with a lever, 14, which is fulcrumed at one end on the back board or fixed wall of the motor pneumatic, the other end of the lever being connected by a link, 15, with the pitman, 6, pertaining to the same motor pneumatic. For such connection, in order to give the valve its proper action, the pitman is extended from its bearing on the crank wrist in a direction at an angle to the extent of the pitman from the crank wrist to its connection with the moving wall of the motor pneumatic, the relative arrangement of the parts and pivotal connections being such as to cause the valve of each pneumatic to be open for communication with the exhaust and with the atmosphere in proper time with respect to the position of the crank to cause the collapse of the motor pneumatic to occur when the crank is in the position for receiving the impulse of the motor pneumatic to the best advantage for the purpose Ofrotating the shaft, the spring connection between the two valves causing the seating periods to overlap, preventing waste of air.

In the form shown in Figs. 3 and l, the moving walls of the motor pneumatics are at opposite sides of the fixed wall from the other form, the valve chambers and the ex haust air chamber being also at the opposite side below the pivoted end of the moving wall, and the pituien for operating the valves are connected directly to the valve stems, which extend upward,the atmos- In the valve cham- 7, and a port, 10, open- I 3O: 9 o be 11 111 the the tl and unbv movement ot the RYE 110 neghhe r have the same It 1% cleshahle that the t its in t of ce the ulat eecl of of the g0 trnns- 5 1g the evicted.

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'ith it t' the 111 index 1e clecl by the 31'ovicle an ed for ope 'ating lpon erating to f the i Se in speecle ht) te c0 11 aware, it has not heretoe. 1. anal a v n ree'artlel meet tot" fith onmttc enable steadiness t0 the ac u u S 3 U l hem the crank shaf lQECt use n hire in :tecolmm 15 COUDQCC-Ot'h to WlllC that tl t h 12111 et the Choke to rec of the pertteu atlo controlling valve or tempo valve, tending therefore, to cause gradual acceleration and diminution of speed instead of the instantaneous or nearly instantaneous change which is sometimes desirable. I have found it practicable, however, to employ a fly wheel on the crank shaft of this motor by properly relating the weight of the fly wheel to the power of the motor. And I have found that practically all the disadvantage which might result from the presence of a fly-wheel for the reason above suggested, may be obviated by the construction shown and which will now be described in which the fly wheel is connected to the crank shaft yieldingly as to relative rotation of the two. The fly wheel, 40 is mounted loosely on the crank shaft, 4, and on opposite sides of it there are mounted loosely collars, 41 and 42, each of which is connected to the shaft 4, by a coiled spring, said springs, 43 and as, being coiled in opposite directions. Each of said collars has a radial arm, said radial arms, 41 and i2 being provided at their extremities with abutments, 41 and 42* facing the rim of the fly wheel which is provided on its opposite sides with cooperating abutments, to and etO respectively. Stop collars, 45, 45, fast on the shaft outside the collars, 4:1 and 42, retain the parts in proper relation on the shaft. The springs, 43 and 45L, are normally coiled so that the abutments, 41 and 42*, stand adjacent to oppositely-facing sides of the two ahutments, 40

. and 40, on the fly wheel. When the shaft, 4,

starts or is accelerated, the movement or acceleration will not be communicated to the fly wheel until the spring, 43, has been somewhat coiled, the abutment 42", being carried away from the abutment, 40 during so much of the rotation of the shaft as occurs before the fly wheel starts and acquires the full rotary speed of the shaft. Similarly, when the action of the motor shaft ceases or is retarded, the fly wheel will not stop or suffer like retardment until the spring, 44, has been somewhat coiled, while the abutment, 40 on the fly wheel runs away from the abutment, an, on the arm, 41 of the collar, 41. The time necessary for the springs to transmit to the fly wheel the motion, acceleration or retardment to the starting acceleration or retardment of the shaft, 4-, measures the gain in respect to promptness of response of the motor to the tempo valve which is effected by the yielding connection of the fly wheel to the shaft.

I claim z 1. In an air motor, in combination with motor pneumatics and the valves which c0ntrol them; an exhaust air chamber whose communication with the motor pneumatics is controlled by said valves; a flexible and compressible air trunk leading from said air chamber for communication with exhaust devices, and a choke device at the entrance to said chamber from said air trunk, and means for adjusting said choke device and for securing it as adjusted to regulate the opening into said air chamber according to the capacity of the air trunk as limited by its collapse when connected with the exhaust devices.

2. In combination with an air motor and an exhaust air trunk for operating it; a valve chamber interposed between the air trunk and the motor, through which cham her the air from the motor passes to the air trunk, said chamber comprising a valve seat having an elongated port and a valve sliding over said port to close it more or less for regulating the speed of the motor; a choke device in said port independent of the valve, and exteriorly-accessible means for adjusting said choke device to contract or expand the port said choke device being movable for changing the dimension of the port in a direction transverse to the opening and closing movement of the valve.

3. In combination with an air motor and exhaust air trunk for operating it; avalve chamber interposed between the air trunk and the motor comprising a valve seat having an elongated port; a valve sliding along the length of said port for opening or closing it more or less to govern the speed of the motor, and a choke device in said port movable for contracting and expanding the port in a direction crosswise of the movement of the valve for opening and closing the same.

4. In combination with an air motor and an air trunk by which the same is operated; a valve chamber interposed between the air trunk and the motor comprising a valve seat having an elongated tapering port, one of the side walls of said port constituting a choke device pivoted to the valve seat at the apex of the angle formed by the converging sides of said tapering port; a screw extending out through the valve seat and exteriorly-accessible for adjusting said pivoted side of the port, and a valve in the chamber mounted for sliding longitudinally over the port for opening and closing it.

5. In an air motor for actuating a player note sheet mechanism, in combination with motor pneumatics,-and a crank shaft which they actuate, a fly wheel mounted loose on the crank shaft for rotation there-about, and springs which connecct the fly wheel with the crank shaft, adapted to be put under tension by the relative rotation of the crank shaft and fly wheel in either direction from the normal. position of the wheel on the crank shaft at which it is held by said springs.

6. In an air motor, in combination with motor pneumatics and a crank shaft which they actuate; a fly wheel loose on the crank shaft; collars loose on the shaft at opposite reaction in opposite directions around the sides of the fly wheel; ebutments on the opshaft.

posite sides of the fly wheel and on the col- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set lei-s respectively, positioned respectively for in hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 4th clay engagement by rotation of the fly Wheel in oi December, 1916.

opposite directions, and springs connecting said collars respectively with the shaft for ii ELVILLE CLARK.

Copies of this eaten; may be ooteincf; by eddrcseing the Qommissioner of Patents, 

